Should We Do Away With Tanning Salons?

The science is pretty definitive on this one: Tanning salons aren't exactly the best for your skin. The UV rays they use touch the part of your skin most susceptible to cancer, and numerous studies show tanning does indeed increase your risk of skin cancer.

So, should tanning salons be banned in the U.S., like they are in Australia and Brazil, or is it a matter of choice? A new study in Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research asked women ages 18 to 30 who had visited them over the past year what they thought.

While tanners didn't want to get rid of the establishments that enabled their hobby altogether, they didn't want their salons totally unregulated either. Only 10 percent supported a ban on indoor tanning, but 74 percent supported prohibiting children under 18 from tanning and 77.6 percent felt tanners should receive stronger warnings about the risks. More than 40 states already have some sort of policy that prevents minors from tanning or requires salons to post warnings. The FDA has also proposed new regulations that would outlaw the use of tanning salons by children nationwide and require adults to sign a form before tanning.

"Given the low levels of support for a total indoor tanning ban, support for other potential policies such as increasing the minimum age to 21 should be investigated to inform future steps to reduce indoor tanning and the associated health risks," lead author Darren Mays said in a press release.

While it's up to adults whether they want to do anything that carries risks, it should tell us something that even people who engage in tanning believe it should come with limits and warnings.